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Rico Rodriguez
Rico Rodriguez is the main character and playable protagonist of the Just Cause game series. Background According to the Just Cause 2 PDA, Rico was 21 years old when he was scouted by Tom Sheldon in 1986 (which means that he would have been born in 1965, which conflicts other JC2 PDA info where it states that he was born in 1968), but according to promotional information for JC3, he joined The Agency – the covert arm of the CIA – at age 18. He is nicknamed "Scorpio" in Panau. In Medici, he is called both "Aquila" (eagle) and "Fratre" (brother). Biography According to the JC2 PDA, Rico was born on January 25, 1968, in Mexico. It has been stated (at the official Just Cause Facebook page) that he grew up in Medici but was not born there. Medici is said to be both his and his mother's homeland. According to an interview with the game director, Rico's parents were killed in action, when Rico escaped the coup in Medici. In JC4, it is uncovered that Rico's father, Miguel Rodriguez, was a scientist working for Oscar Espinosa and it is possible that while Rico was in Medici, Miguel made trips between Medici and Solís. Before the Agency Anders Bodbacka, the senior technical designer for JC3, revealed that Rico was born in Mexico and moved to Medici, which is where his mother is from. Rico's childhood friend Mario Frigo would later lead the Rebellion against Di Ravello before Rico's return. According to the collectible Di Ravello audio diary tapes, Rico was a mediocre race car driver until he won a race as a result of the lead car's brakes failing (orchestrated by Di Ravello). Rico left Medici when Di Ravello ordered his soldiers to kill his parents to please The Agency. This order was given by the Agency because Miguel Rodriguez refused to continue work on Project Illapa. According to the info in JC3, Rico first met Tom Sheldon on the boat during his escape. According to Rico's JC2 PDA profile, Rico was approached by the CIA during the Invasion of Panama in 1989, when Rico was 21 years old. Tom Sheldon then took Rico under his wing and became his commanding officer and friend, turning him from a rookie into the top agent he is today. Rico's time in The Agency and the CIA Rico underwent CIA training and due to his expertise with weapons, vehicles, and other gadgets, he was soon accepted into The Agency. This was a unit of the CIA that specialized in "regime change" operations, which involves overthrowing dictatorships that are being ruled unfairly or are no longer U.S.A. friendly. During his time with The Agency, Rico trained under Sheldon, who taught Rico the skills and techniques he would need to carry out such dangerous operations, and became a good friend and ally. Rico ran a series of black ops to support guerrilla revolutionaries and overthrow evil dictators around the world. Rico also met Maria Kane, another recruit within The Agency. Rico and Maria were intimate sometime before the events of the first game, something Sheldon is still oblivious to. Nonetheless, the three became close partners and often dispatched as a team: Sheldon being the commander, in charge of contact with Agency HQ and receiving intelligence, Maria deals with weapons, vehicle, and equipment procurement with Rico as the field operative, carrying out all the actual work. Guatemala As revealed in Just Cause 3 and Danger Rising, Rico was once on a mission in Guatemala. He was accompanied by Maria Kane (his significant other at the time), Dimah Ali Umar al-Masri and possibly Tom Sheldon. Their forward operations base was the USS Codetalker. During that mission, Kane has briefed Rico on in the submarines munitions storage room and Dimah had gotten into some trouble, from which Rico rescued her. San Esperito - 2005 In 2005, Rico made a name for himself when he was called to the tropical island of San Esperito, along with Sheldon and Maria, who were already there. This would turn out to be one of his largest, most difficult and dangerous operations. His task was to infiltrate and assist two rebel factions on the island and cripple dictator Salvador Mendoza, who was believed to be in control of WMDs and finally put an end to his rule. After landing on the island nation, he breaks a certain faction leader out of prison to aid him in his revolution: José Caramicas. Transporting him to safety earned him the friendship of his faction (the Guerrillas) and the affections of his grateful sister Esperanza Caramicas. He continued to help the faction and make his way across the nation, meeting new allies and making enemies. ‎ With his allies, Rico proceeded and carried out numerous life-risking tasks that included the sabotaging of all Mendoza's businesses and the killing of his corrupt officials. Eventually, Sheldon, Rico, and Maria tracked Mendoza down, who had retreated to his island. Rico carried out a full-blown assault upon the island and fought his way through Mendoza's army. Mendoza fled in a jet with Rico in hot pursuit. After Rico jumped aboard Mendoza's flight, the president took a last-ditch chance to escape and leaped from the plane. Rico followed, skydiving above him. Catching up with him in free-fall, Rico placed a time-bomb on Mendoza's back, blowing the president into pieces and ultimately ending Mendoza's evil reign over San Esperito. Panau - 2009 Tom Sheldon suspiciously goes missing with millions of dollars in Agency cash. He is suspected of going rogue. The Agency wants him found and killed. The events of JC2 took place in 2009. Maria Kane personally tracks down Rico, believing him to be the only person capable of such a mission. She informs Rico about Sheldon's situation, who has disappeared in the island nation of Panau. Rico reluctantly returns and accepts the mission when he hears about Sheldon. He and Kane are flown to Panau, in south-east Asia, whose new dictator has suddenly cut all ties to the U.S.A. Rico is informed that Sheldon may have gone rogue. Rico grudgingly accepts the fact that he may have to kill his friend and mentor, who taught him everything he knows. Immediately thrown into combat, Rico assaults a military base and retrieves some memory cards with various pieces of intelligence about the operation in Panau on them. Later, Kane and Rico go to visit Karl Blaine, a Swedish Agency asset who has abandoned his mission in favor of gambling and drinking, who is believed to have information about Sheldon. But, after arriving at his house, they are greeted by his apparent girlfriend Jade Tan. Jade tells Rico that Blaine is holed up in the Panau Falls Casino and needs help. Rico and Jade ride to the casino, taking a shine to one another in the process. Rico then forcefully extracts Blaine from the casino and is repaid with a Black Market contact and the HQ locations of three Panau factions. Rico is introduced to the factions as a mercenary called "Scorpio" (once or twice called "Scorpion," possibly by mistake). The factions will dig up information regarding the whereabouts of Sheldon in return for Rico's services as a mercenary. Rico works for the "Reapers", led by Bolo Santosi, who is driven by her want for revolution; the "Roaches", led by Razak "The Razor" Razman, a very powerful drug distributor on Panau, though due to his wealth remains a prominent public figure; and the "Ular Boys", led by Sri Irawan, who is driven simply by his lust for power and independence. All factions disapprove of dictator Pandak "Baby" Panay, who they feel is corrupting their nation. Sure enough, he finds Sheldon and confronts him. Learning about Baby Panay, he realizes that Sheldon had not gone rogue as it was believed. Instead, he was secretly investigating Panay, who is believed to have ulterior motives for cutting ties with the US. Rico is given the job of eliminating Panau's corrupt leader to return the country to US-friendly status. Sheldon tells Rico to keep working for the factions and causing chaos to flush Panay from his hiding spot and take him down, before departing to make amends with the Agency. As Rico continues to work for the factions, he is abruptly informed that Karl Blaine is missing and isn't to be trusted (he had earlier installed a bug on Rico's PDA). Panay has also captured Jade, who is also revealed as a government agent and was caught snooping around. Rico races to rescue Jade before she is tortured by Panay, and he destroys the base where she is held. From below a frozen lake, a nuclear submarine (U1) surfaces and a convoy makes their escape with Jade thrown into a truck. However, Rico foils the plan and hijacks the truck carrying Jade. Both are then rescued by Kane and Sheldon via helicopter. The four of them take a break on Sheldon's barge boat where Jade expresses her gratitude towards Rico for saving her. She shares the intel she had gathered which reveals that there are three superpower representatives on Panau who also want to drive out Baby Panay. Knowing of the factions' want to remove Panay from the presidency, each of the representatives have allied themselves with a certain faction, providing them with financial backing. Alexander Mirkov, a Russian secret service agent is aiding the Roaches; Zhang Sun, a Chinese leader who is backing the Reapers with his promise of revolution and a disgraced Japanese general named Masayo Washio, allied with the Ular Boys. Unfortunately, Jade was caught before finding out why the superpowers want Panay gone, or what their interest in Panau itself is. They all wonder what a small nation like Panau has to offer. Sheldon tells Rico he must continue doing jobs for the factions and retain their trust, to discover the locations of these superpower representatives. As Rico prepares to leave, Jade asks what he intends to do, to which Rico replies what he does best, cause chaos. She tells him to take care of himself, but he insists there will be another time for that, jokingly suggesting Jade give him a few tips in the future. Eventually, one of the three factions unknowingly put Rico in contact with their superpower representative, enabling Rico and Sheldon to wipe them out. Sheldon calls Rico to the Three Kings Hotel where Mirkov, Sun, and Washio are staying. Ironically, none of them know the others are there, too. After confronting and defeating all three, Sheldon and Rico again wonder what Panau has that can attract the Chinese, Japanese, Russians. After locating Panay, Sheldon sends Rico and a faction to kill him. Arriving at his lair (Wajah Ramah Fortress), Panay queries if Rico is also on the island to steal its huge oil supply. It suddenly becomes clear that all this was for oil, as it appears that the superpowers were after Panauan Oil and wanted to get rid of Panay to get to it. The interaction is cut short by Blaine, who believes Panay killed Jade. He sets off a grenade, killing himself and seemingly also Panay. Rico makes a quick exit as the self-destruct sequence activates. Getting to safety, Rico rages at Sheldon for having him risk his life so much just for oil. They are interrupted by Kane who informs them that rival powers have learned of Panay's death and their tankers are headed toward Panau to seize the oil, which will supposedly turn the nation into a field of death and destruction as they all clash over the worlds largest oil supply, with little regard for the inhabitants of the island. Rico is sent to the oil field in preparation for the confrontation of the superpowers, but on his way there, a nuclear submarine (U1) rises from the water. Rico checks it out, only to discover Panay, having survived the grenade explosion, is intent on keeping the oil supply for himself. After being overpowered, Panay flees to the front deck of the sub and reveals to Rico that the fight isn't over. Three Nuclear missiles are directed at the superpowers who have come to Panau to take the oil and a fourth is directed at the US. Panay launches them; however, his clothes are snagged on the American one and he is hauled off with it. Rico grapples onto the Russian one and quickly disarms the first three as they speed over the water. Then after a brief scuffle with Panay, Rico slams him into the exposed missile interior, from which he's unable to free himself, but instead of disarming the missile, he changes the target coordinates. Rico parachutes to safety and lands on the Agency barge with Sheldon, Kane, and Jade. The missile explodes behind him, having hit the prized oil field, much to Sheldon's and Kane's dismay. Rico explains his reasons for destroying oil worth so much, to spare the innocent people in Panau from having to live in fear and poverty due to superpowers clashing over the oil, as without it, all interest in Panau is lost. As the group sail along the waters of Panau, the four raise a glass to good deeds, friends and a job well done. Note that in reality there's no way that any nuclear-type bomb could do any damage to an undersea oil field and that any radiation would be safely absorbed and carried off by the sea. Medici - 2015 In 2015, several years after the events of Just Cause 2, Rico leaves The Agency and travels back home to the fictional nation of Medici, located in a fictional Mediterranean archipelago, to overthrow the dictatorship of General Di Ravello. Since Rico is no longer in the Agency, he no longer wears a uniform. He's wearing a denim jacket, jeans, and work/cowboy boots. With the help of Tom Sheldon, Rico travels to Medici on a plane during Di Ravello week. Sheldon explains that "Di Ravello is sitting on a ton of Bavarium, which makes him the Agency's best goddamn friend". Rico equips himself with weapons that he has smuggled with the help of Tom Sheldon and stunts to the roof of the plane which is now being attacked by SAMs. After defending the plane, the plane makes a vertical turn to dodge a machine gun from an attacking plane, which causes Rico to fall off. Rico parachutes down and meets up with Mario Frigo, now The Rebellion's incompetent leader. Rico ends up saving Mario from the D.R.M., then an urgent distress call from nearby rebels comes in and the two head for them as a backup. Managing to save the rebels in time, a fellow rebel says that Dimah Ali Umar al-Masri is now being attacked by the military. Rico mounts a helicopter and saves Dimah. After that, she explains that Bavarium is in the wrong hands and gifts Rico a new grappler, Wingsuit and GE-64 explosives. Rico then destroys an outpost and a bridge to stop Di Ravello's reinforcements from the previous mission. Rico meets Mario at his Granmatre's house for dinner, after which he liberates the town of Manaea by the command of Alessia and proceeds to liberate the nearby power plant, Vis Electra. Rico discovers that Sheldon survived the crash while Di Ravello discovers that Rico has returned. Di Ravello orders his soldiers to raze the town of Costa Del Porto to bring out The Rebellion's leader Mario; Di Ravello plans were to kill Mario Frigo. Di Ravello fails and they fly away to safety. Rico subsequently saves the town and saves Mario. Dimah requests Rico to retrieve a Bavarium scanner from Vigilator Nord. After retrieving it, he travels to Cima Leon: Silo to determine if Bavarium is being weaponized, after which the detector explodes due to the detection of an overabundance of Bavarium. During the mission, Rico discovers that Bavarium is heading to Tom Sheldon, who wants the detector for his own. Rico delivers the destroyed scanner to Sheldon, who in a fit of anger, smashes his glass of beer. Rico and Mario then escort Zeno Antithikara, a scientist defecting from Di Ravello's Bavarium research campaign. Supposedly enraged by Zeno's escape, Di Ravello launches a military campaign to crush The Rebellion in Insula Fonte. After assisting in several battles around Insula Fonte, the Medici Military launch a Bavarium nuke to distract Rico, who instead catches up to the missile and physically redirects the missile's course to Cima Leon Central Command instead of its intended target. Mario asks Rico to meet him urgently, but Rico is set up for a prank by a drunk Mario. He goes to Mario's actual location and the two deliver wine stolen from Di Ravello to some rebels where the group celebrate the victory. Sometime later Sheldon informs Rico that some Medici Military ships are heading after Dimah and Mario. Rico is suspicious of Sheldon but goes to intercept the military ships and after defending Dimah and Mario, they meet two smugglers named Annika Svennson and Teo. After a firefight against Medici Military reinforcements, Mario becomes critically injured, in which Annika offers Rico aid to Mario if Rico does their bidding. It is later revealed that Sheldon and The Agency had ties to Di Ravello for 20 years for a promise that Di Ravello will have an alliance with the United States of America and the killing of Rico's parents was planned so Rico could be recruited for The Agency. Di Ravello is disappointed that Sheldon didn't keep his promise of an alliance with the US and starts blaming Sheldon for training Rico and his troubles. Di Ravello tells Sheldon to not return to his palace again and escorts Tom out of the palace. All during this time, the smugglers ask Rico to steal an Imperator Bavarium Tank, besiege a Bavarium refinery, and test a Bavarium EMP, but Rico becomes suspicious of a mole in The Rebellion. During these events, Mario recovers from his injuries, but the two hear that military forces know where they are and are going to wipe them out. The smugglers escape to "avoid suicide" but later return to help. After this, they destroy another power plant. The rebels hear that Rosa Manuela is returning to Medici, but Rico is protective and doesn't want her returning to avoid an assassination attempt, so he protects her plane, and after landing Rosa recognizes Zeno Antithikara as the mole and Zeno is imprisoned. Rosa tasks Rico to destroy a train carrying Bavarium out of Medici and Rico destroys the train. Annika and Teo ask Rico to help free their friends and after doing this, Dimah, Rico, and Sheldon stop a transport plane carrying a Bavarium bomb. The Medici Military attacks The Rebellion as a ruse to free Zeno, but Rico confronts and destroys Zeno's helicopter, killing him. The Rebellion engages in a final battle against the Medici Military to serve as a distraction while Dimah infiltrates Falco Maxime Central Command and attempts to destroy the base tower and with it the last half-century of Bavarium research. After assisting in The Rebellion's victories in battles across Medici, Rico travels to Falco Maxime where Dimah reveals there is no other way to destroy the tower than manually directing the Bavarium missiles from the base command tower. Rico attempts to convince her that there is another way, but Dimah surprises Rico by firing his grappling hook at a passing jet and proceeds to sacrifice herself to guide the missiles to the Centcom Tower. Annika and Teo track down Di Ravello in a Bavarium powered helicopter that escaped from Falco Maxime: Centcom moments before the explosion. Rico, along with Annika, Teo, and Mario travel to the last known location of the helicopter - a large volcano island off the coast of Medici. After a long battle with Rico, Di Ravello's helicopter crashes from too much damage, of which he crawls out of, determined to keep fighting. Rico confronts Di Ravello, who monologues about how he failed Medici. Rico can either kill Di Ravello or let him commit suicide, ending his reign. Rico then travels to a nearby beach to enjoy a drink alone, in a scene similar to the title menu. Rico appears to be alive and well for the events of three years later. Solís - 2018 Rico goes to Solís to learn what became of his father, Miguel Rodriguez. Rico learns from Mira Morales that his father is dead and that he had designed a super-weapon for the Black Hand, called Project Illapa. Rico is confused by this because he doesn't think his father would do that. He knows that Oscar Espinosa, the ruler of Solís, has some answers, so he attacks the Illapa main base to get to Oscar to talk to him. Rico doesn't initially care that the Black Hand are in charge here and also doesn't think that he needs any help. His attack on Illapa fails and he has to get help from the locals. The locals wish to get rid of the Black Hand, so this starts a rebellion called the Army of Chaos to topple the Espinosa regime. According to Gabriela Morales, head of the Black Hand, Rico had toppled "half a dozen" regimes before arriving at Solís, but she also mentions that he "went off the grid", or "under the radar", or something like that "after Medici", so he must have had a vacation since then. It's mentioned in one of the earlier missions that he is equipped with an AR lens - a nano-computer built into a contact lens. Throughout the many missions, Rico learns from Javi Huerta, an archaeologist, that Solís has been ruled by the Espinosa family for centuries, and that they held power by a combination of rigged elections and lies about Otorongo, the previous ruler. Rico also finds out that Project Illapa is a weather-controlling device that's officially meant to put an end to extreme weather, like tornadoes, sandstorms, snowstorms and lightning storms. This turns out to be a lie, as the device is meant to create weaponized controlled storms, which Oscar Espinosa reveals will eventually be pawned off. Tom Sheldon, who claims to be in Solís on his own and who Rico doesn't initially trust, discovers that Rico's father may have worked with the Black Hand, but the details remain unclear until the mission Operation Thunderbarge. Miguel quit his job at the project and returned home to Medici. Oscar Espinosa then arranged Miguel to be killed. It's unclear who asked who precisely what, but Oscar noted that he had Black Hand units in Medici and that General Di Ravello is co-operating with the Agency. According to Di Ravello tapes, he burned down the Rodriguez household, killing the occupants, as a gift to the Agency. Di Ravello also mentions that he allowed Rico to be taken away by the Agency. Tom Sheldon mentions in the mission Operation Thunderbarge that he was still new to the Agency at the time and didn't know the details. He had only been sent to rescue specifically Rico. Mira introduces Rico to César, who has discovered that the tornadoes in Solís are controlled by technology. They set up a raid on Zona Tres, a weather research base, and learn that the tornadoes are indeed controlled by the government as a part of Project Illapa. The secrets of the tornado technology are revealed in Operation Windwalker. The mission Meeting Lanza Moralez reveals that Project Illapa was started by Leon Espinosa for completely peaceful reasons - to stop extreme weather. Later Oscar had ordered the project to be weaponized. This made Miguel Rodriguez quit and go home. In the final mission Operation Illapa it is revealed that Oscar Espinosa was trying to sell the Project Illapa to The Agency. Rico kills Oscar and destroys the project. Gabriela and a few remaining Black Hand units defect to the Army of Chaos. Tom estimates that this loss must have cost the Agency trillions. Rico is seriously annoyed with the Agency and wants to take them down. Tom and Mira join this effort. They don't know how to do this, but Rico tells them that having an army is a good start. The Solís Hoy radio announces after the mission that Rico is now apparently the new ruler of Solís and at least one of the show's hosts is willing to give him a chance at the job. The radio also mentions that some factions within the Black Hand have not surrendered and continue the fight. This refers to any region of Solís that the player might not have captured before the mission. The radio host urges them to lay down their arms so the people of Solís could focus on rebuilding. While it makes sense to do this after Oscar Espinosa is defeated/killed, it is actually after Agency Distress Beacon that The Agency sends 8 submarines to Solís seemingly to eliminate Rico, but the aforementioned is only the secondary objective. Rico meets Sheldon at some town near a coastal town and drives Sheldon to the coastal town. At some point, Rico is told by Sheldon that the Agency has been tracking Rico's grappler as "3 million dollars worth of stolen tech." The tracker is in a briefcase carried by one Emerson Miller. At the coastal town, Rico and Sheldon run into a roadblock. They dismount from the Army of Chaos Pugilista SUV and proceed on foot. At one point, they are ambushed by Agency operatives. Rico and Sheldon fight them off, then head to the dock. At this point, Rico is taught how to use the hoverboard and is told to go to the USS Watchdog to disable it. After disabling the Watchdog, 6 more Agency submarines appear off the coast of Solís. Rico proceeds to disable them all (in any order). While disabling the submarines, Rico runs into a few of his old colleagues. Most of them don't appear to know Rico personally but are ordered to eliminate him anyway. Rico at one point runs into a guy called Kowalski, whom Rico knows. After defeating him, Rico tells him to rest easy, implying they were on good terms in the past. Some submarines reveal other information about Rico as well, including how he has been tracked ever since after Panau and before Medici. After disabling all 7 submarines, the agent in charge of the Solís operation, Emerson Miller, then appears on his command submarine USS Statesman. Rico is ordered to destroy that sub and hunt down Miller. After destroying the sub, Rico chases Miller in his C3 Canvasback Hovercraft to a nearby Agency cruiser. There, Rico and Miller engage in a boss battle. Miller has a quick charging RG-PBA 9 Railgun, but Rico defeats him regardless. After killing Miller, Rico disables the grappler tracker, while also deleting some personal files of his own on the briefcase Rico has been chasing. The screen pans out to reveal the Agency's real reason on Solís: copy details of Project Illapa and build it in a "safer location", revealed to be Washington D.C., the U.S. capital. With this said, it is implied Just Cause 5 will likely take place in the United States, possibly a dystopian version. Characteristics Description During the development of Just Cause, Rico is depicted as the "pretty boy" of spies and Mulatto-Hispanic heritage, described by developers as being: "The child of one thousand comic books and action movies. He is James Bond, Mad Max, Jason Bourne, El Mariachi, Wolverine, Punisher, Rambo, Tony Montana, and Han Solo all rolled into one. With a touch of Enrique Iglesias to top it all off!" Described by other characters *Dr. Otto Kleiner describes Rico as an "ugly troll" and as "untermensch". - Mission Guadalicano Choo Choo. *Maria Kane is convinced that Rico only breaks things. - Mission The San Esperito Connection. *Inmaculada Palmiera believes Rico to have big balls. - Mission The San Esperito Connection. *General Sebastiano Di Ravello thinks Rico is "a weak-minded child with a rope and a squirrel suit". - Mission Bavarium on a Plane. *Tom Sheldon thinks Rico is "still the same a**hole he was at age 17". - Mission Thunderbarge: Obtaining The Ion Coil. *Gabriela Morales thinks Rico is similar to her and therefore dangerous. - Some pre-launch promotional materials for Just Cause 4. *Black Hand in JC4 think he's "like a panther" and are impressed with his creativity. - Live-action trailer with Black Hand and Gabriela. *Sargento thinks Rico is "kinda scary sometimes". - Mission Atalaya Strike. *Garland King thinks Rico is "the new masculinity", but also that he's a "prima donna". - Mission Scene: The Dawnflower. *Garland King thinks Rico is "the Da Vinci of violence". - Mission Garland King's New Star. Appearance He has hazel eyes (best seen in the Firestarter trailer breakdown) and has a tattoo of a scorpion on his upper left arm. He was born on the 25th of January, 1968 and his star-sign is Aquarius. In Just Cause, Rico wears a standard-issue black ops outfit complete with a thin bulletproof vest and parachute. He also wears a crucifix, which shows that he is a Christian. He talks with a strong Spanish accent. In Just Cause 2, set a few years later, he's sporting a more rugged look. He's more muscular and has slicked his hair back. He instead wears a black shirt with sleeves rolled up, covered by an open-collared buttoned leather vest and also a red arm bandana. Over this, he wears a tactical gun holster and fingerless gloves. He also wears a more casual pair of jeans with gun holsters and a brown stud belt, along with black combat loafers. He still wears the crucifix and now has a more advanced Grappler fitted to his left arm. In Just Cause 3 Rico is sporting a beard and wears what is commonly referred to as the "Double Denim" outfit. It consists of a red t-shirt, a blue, zip-up denim jacket, and "boot-cut" blue jeans. Also present are, again, the crucifix, fingerless gloves, and the 2 side weapon holsters. New to Just Cause 3 is the weapon rack on the back of his parachute harness and the updated Grappler. In Just Cause 4 he looks very similar to his JC3 self. A free DLC adds the Just Cause 2 and Just Cause 3 skins for Rico as optional customization. In the mission Thunderbarge: Obtaining The Ion Coil Tom reminisces about past missions with Rico and says that Rico used to dress "like a Mexican Johnny Cash". Rico doesn't appreciate the tone of the comparison and asks what's wrong with Johnny Cash. He has always had a cross necklace. *In JC1, if Rico isn't holding a weapon and the player doesn't touch the controls for a while, Rico will automatically perform a cross-hand gesture and kiss the cross. While holding a weapon, he would aim the weapon for a moment. *In JC2 he no longer does anything at idle, but if you were to grapple to anything in general, realistically the necklace would fly off due to Newton'slaws of motion, but it doesn't. This means that the necklace is attached to his clothing somewhere. Then again, his body doesn't get ripped apart by the grappler either, so those laws might not exist in the Just Cause Universe. Personality and traits In Just Cause, Rico is portrayed as being vaguely sarcastic but confident in his abilities and hardly ever loses his temper. He is familiar with the absurdity of the tasks he is given and occasionally quips about this. He is also shown to attract the attention of a few women while on his mission, which might be something new to him (see the quotes section below). According to Maria Kane, he has a habit of breaking things. He can also be seen performing a "sign of the cross" and kissing the cross he's wearing. He does this at the end of the first Just Cause trailer (at the bottom of the page). This is something that he does automatically when you leave him alone and don't touch the controls for some time. If he's holding a weapon at the time, he'll instead look at the weapon. This can sometimes also be seen right after completing a mission. Rico's personality has darkened in Just Cause 2. He is somewhat cynical, yet retains his dark sense of humor and occasional wit, but is more serious in his tone. He is also more aggressive and unlike before, does lose his temper on occasions. Rico also speaks more in free-roam gameplay and has lost a little of his Spanish accent. In Just Cause 2 he doesn't have any moral issues with stealing medical supplies, money and vehicle parts from civilians. Sometimes in JC2, when he kills a lot of soldiers in a very brief amount of time with either a Minigun or a Machine Gun, he will briefly chuckle like Alexander Mirkov. He talks a lot more in Just Cause 3. He is also a bit less of an angry person and seems to have calmed down since 2009 (when JC2 took place.) He is more enthusiastic about things blowing up and feels bad when he kills a Rebel. Rico possibly hates civilians in Panau instead of being relatively indifferent to them in San Esperito. Take for example: "Get off the streets, you crazy damned pedestrians!" In Just Cause 4 he has a lot more discussions during missions and he's revealed to be a friendly guy, who occasionally (Thunderbarge: Ion Coil Delivery and César's Theory) drinks something (presumably beer) with his associates. He also believes that music is important and that vehicles should have radios. At the beginning of the storyline, he is very confident and believes himself to only need minimal directions from any aiding personnel. Upon being proven wrong, he is easily willing to admit his mistake and ask for help. In addition to upgrading his ever more dangerous equipment, he keeps learning new stunts for casual use. *In JC1, he can jump into stunt position and jump from car to car, or car to helicopter, or plane to plane. *In JC2, Rico can move around between up to 3 positions and use weapons while atop of the vehicle. Rico can even do a flip-turn into a vehicle with doors. *In JC3 and JC4, the stunt position covers the whole vehicle and Rico can completely freely walk all over a moving vehicle. Health *JC1: In San Esperito, he only recovers the last 10% of his health. Anything over that will never regenerate and can only be recovered by Medicine cabinet, or First aid kit. *JC2: He can regenerate any damage that reduces his health by about 10%, or less. Anything more will need a medicine cabinet. *JC3: He does not have a health bar, but rather, the screen turns black and white when he is almost dead and if he avoids taking damage for a short while, the color restores, implying he recovered. *JC4: There is still no health bar, but serious damage adds red markings on the screen and the edges of the screen become red. He recovers within seconds (if he's not under constant fire) and the screen returns to normal. His health has so far been perfect, but as he revealed to Tom at the end of the mission Thunderbarge: Obtaining The Ion Coil, he has begun feeling the effects of aging. He feels "banged up" after the mission, which is something he would not have felt when he was in San Esperito. In Just Cause 3, Rico has an eyebrow scar with unknown origin, possibly from Panau or from upgraded graphics which made the developers push their limits by adding a scar on Rico's face. As of JC4, Rico has four scars on his face. It's unknown how he got them. Rico's new scars mirror Gabriela's three old face scars. They have a similar eyebrow scar. Rico's scars could mean that he is growing reckless as he is growing older, or he possibly had a wingsuiting accident. Quotes San Esperito In missions: *"Another pissant regime that has to be toppled. President has to go." - Aboard the Agency cargo plane, right after the briefing for the first mission Devil's Drop Zone. *"It was getting on my nerves." - Replying to Maria Kane saying "Geez Rico, what the hell did you do to that island?" in the ending cutscene of I've Got the Power. *"You know, it didn't matter that he was the president. It's always the good guy who wins. And today, that's me." - His last words to Salvador Mendoza in the mission Taking Out The Garbage. Salvador had just referred to the 1997 movie "Air Force One". During free-roam gameplay: *"I can't believe I have paid for that." - Rico says this right after the mission Brothers in Arms and at random moments after completing the mission. It is believed that this is a reference to relations of a sexual nature, because of the way that the mission ended. *"Watch what you are doing, aye." - When fighting enemies. *"His weapons, they're just so powerful, don't you think?" - Talking to the player and breaking the fourth wall when fighting enemies. **He may be saying "These weapons" instead of "His weapons". *"Here's a message for your buddies at home: Stay there." - When fighting enemies. *"Yeah, hombre. Sometimes I just lose it." - When fighting enemies. *"Careful, you're going to kill somebody." - When fighting enemies. *"Rest in peace amigos!" - When fighting enemies. *"Hope you guys brought your earplugs." - When fighting enemies. *"You see what happens when you make me angry?" - When fighting enemies. *"You guys want to play with me?" - When fighting enemies. *"Alright, alright, I get the message." - When fighting enemies. *"Sometimes this job is just too good." - When parachuting. *"The open sky, the fresh clean air, what's not to like?" - When parachuting. *"I can't believe I get paid for this" - When parachuting. Panau *"Crazy damned Pedestrians!" - After running over some pedestrians. *''"Don't you have insurance?!"*'' -Presumably after hijacking a car, this is a cut line of dialogue. *"That was fun." - After a settlement completion. *"Don't take no passengers." - After Hijacking a vehicle. *"Why go over, when you can go under?" - After flying under a bridge. *"One day, they'll write books about all of us." - After flying under a bridge. This refers to the secret lives of spies and to the fact that some real world spies have had books written about them later. In the german version he says: "Some day, I'll write a book." This seems to be a translation error. *"Try to communicate now, punks." - After destroying a Communications Station. *"Try to transport fuel now, you pipeline jerks!" - After destroying a Pipeline. *"One less pipeline, one less problem." - After destroying a Pipeline. *"Don't take it personally, it was just a design fault, that's all." - After destroying a Pipeline. *"Whoa... too close for comfort!" - After hitting the ground if the Parachute is opened too close to the ground. *"Arregh! Salva Mea!" After hitting the ground if the Parachute is opened too close to the ground, or when a vehicle blows up near him. *"It's a tough job... but someone's gotta do it." - After completing a settlement 100%. *"Ouch, that's gotta hurt the big man's ego!" - When a Pandak "Baby" Panay Statue has been destroyed. *"Bye bye Baby!" - When A Pandak "Baby" Panay Statue has been destroyed. *"Talk about baby boom..." - When destroying the statues mentioned above. *"Oops!" - When tall objects, such as Communications Masts, Cranes or Industrial Chimneys are destroyed, or occasionally when running over a Civilian in a car. *"Deal with it." - Cut game content, voice from the Just Cause 2 Beta. *"Haven't lost my touch!" - When destroying an Industrial Chimney. *"Sheesh!" - When opening the parachute right when Rico hits the ground, or when a vehicle blows up near him. *"I hate Ninjas." - During the mission Mountain Rescue. *"Stay out of the road!" - After running over pedestrians, even if they aren't in the road. *"Get off the streets, you maniacs!" - Same thing as above. This can also be applied to streets. *"Rest in pieces, comrade!" - After assassinating a Colonel. *Sometimes when causing rampant damage to a military base while in a helicopter (one with rockets and guns going at once) he will sing part of Ride of the Valkyries. *"Look ma! I said look, top of the world... again!" - When reaching the highest point in Panau, Snow Peak, for the first time and earning the achivement for it. Medici *"Best idea I've had all day!" - After leaving a vehicle right before it's destroyed in a crash/explosion. *"Perfect parking space." - After leaving a vehicle right before it's destroyed in a crash/explosion. *"Sometimes I amaze even myself." - After leaving a vehicle right before it's destroyed in a crash/explosion. *"Open sesame!" - While breaking into a vehicle. *"Beats using a coat hanger." - While breaking into a vehicle. *"I'm so ready for this..." - When picking up heat. *"Shocking!" - After destroying a generator. *"One less fuel tank, one less problem."- After destroying a fuel tank. *"Try storing fuel now, you jerks." - After destroying a fuel tank. *"Try hearing me now, punks." - After destroying a radar spire or a satcom dish. In the german version he says: "Permanently separated from the grid." *"Oh no, no no!" - After stalling on the Wingsuit. *"Who's next?" - After killing an enemy. *"Oh, baby, where have you been all my life?" - After removing a Urga Vulkan minigun from a tripod. *"Aaaaaaawww... Not... Looking... Good..." - While having to endure high amounts of damage. *"Ouch!" - After an explosion occurs near him. *"Bad boys, bad boys, what'cha gonna do? What'cha gonna do when I come for you?" - While shooting Medici Military on foot. *"You'll... have to do better... than that." - While having to endure high amounts of damage. This is another example of breaking the fourth wall. However, in the games german language version, it is clear that he refers to his enemies. *"This should do it..." - When attaching GE-64 to something. *"These babies stick to anything!" - When attaching GE-64 to something. *"So, we meet again, Mr. Snowman." - When you find the Snowman easter egg. This refers to the fact that the snowman was also among Just Cause 2 easter eggs. *"You make a great couple!" - When tethering a male and female soldier to each other then reeling in. *"Have you two met?" - When tethering two male soldiers to one another and reeling them in. *"I've got to be more careful when aiming" - After killing (accidental or not) a rebel soldier. *"Oh, sorry fratre" - After killing a rebel soldier. *"I will admit, I am awesome." - After completing a Random Encounter. *"You were good, I was better." - After completing a Random Encounter. *"I'm going to tell you something. It's hard being this good." - After completing a Random Encounter. *"We've been over this, watch the explosions!" - After killing a civilian via an explosion you caused. *"This place looks much better on fire." - After taking over a base. *"One by one, they all fall before me." - After taking over a base. *"Is that all you've got?" - Mocking the player after failing (or just restarting) a Race multiple times. Also after losing Heat. *"Not to brag. But I am awesome." - After completing a Random Encounter. *"Hello pipes." During the mission Electromagnetic Pulse *"Damn I'm good." - After completing a Random Encounter *"Fuck you, missile!" - After grappling onto and preparing to redirect the missile in Missile Cowboy. *"Get out of the way!" - When running over a pedestrian. *"How did you reach my CommLink? Who are you?" - During the mission Suit Up, the first mission in the Sky Fortress DLC. *"I am Rico Rodriguez, and I will make YOU pay." - During Suit Up. *"It's just a bigger bug to me." - During Suit Up. *"Alright, Eden Callaghan. Who are you? What do you people want?" - During Suit Up. *"I'm coming for you, Eden. And I will stop you." - During Suit Up. *"Alright, then let's do some... negotiation." - During Suit Up. *"Son of a Dish!" - After taking out a SATCOM Dish. *"What cut the beautiful engine?"- As a vehicle is about to explode. *"Have a treat." - When he throws a grenade at an enemy. *"I feel an explosion coming." - As a vehicle is about to explode. *"Communication breakdown." - As he destroys a satellite dish. *"So long bad guys." - After liberating a base. Solís Rico is less talkative during gameplay than he was in JC3. The following is an incomplete list of his more common and memorable quotes: *"Don't fuck with a scorpion unless you're prepared to get stung!" - As he prepares to eliminate Oscar Espinosa in the mission of Operation Illapa. *"Da da da daaa daaaaa. Da da da daaa daaaaa. Da da da daaa daaaaa. Da da da daaaaaaaaaaaa." - He does this to the tune of "Ride Of The Valkyries" when firing missiles in a helicopter. This is one of the Easter Eggs in Just Cause 4, as a reference to the 1978 movie "Apocalypse Now". *"One less blimp, one less problem." - When destroying a surveillance airship. *"Keep at it people." - When passing over the frontline. *"Holding their own." - When passing over the frontline. *"They're doing good against the Black Hand." - When passing over the frontline. *"They are holding their own." - When passing over the front line. *"Son of a...!" - When hitting the ground late with the parachute. *"Lets roll!" - When entering a vehicle. *"Stretch my legs." - When exiting a vehicle. *"Aahhh." - When exiting a vehicle. *"Hahaa!" - When grappling and opining the wingsuit at the same time. *"Urgghh." - When spinning around the tornado in the wingsuit. *"Urgh, can't see." - When entering a sandstorm. *"Woohoo!" - When exiting a vehicle with a parachute. *"Ugh, focus." - When wing suiting and hitting the ground without losing the wing suit. *"Hello, new friend." - When picking up a SMG. *"Shotgun, nice." - When picking up a shotgun. *"Something with a little range." - When picking up a sniper rifle. *"I wonder what this does." - When picking up a PWC V4.2 Wind Gun. *"Watch out!" - When flying in a land vehicle. *"Here we go." - He says that in a struggling voice while spinning around a tornado. *"Hola" - Spanish word meaning "hello" and is said by Rico when reeling to and enemy and kicking them. *"Tough luck" - When hijacking a vehicle. *"Back off!" - When melee attacking someone. *"Hehe, This thing's so fucking big." - When driving a Armadillo 9M. *"Takes me back." - When driving a Prisa Rayo Sport. *"I like this one." - When driving a fast car. *"Nice bike." - When riding a fast motorcycle. *"Nice ride." - When entering a expensive vehicle. *"That was nice" - When exiting a vehicle. *"RRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!" - When using a machine gun. *"That's another spy down for the count, Sargento." - After destroying a Surveillance Airship. *"Up and away!" - When airlifting an enemy. *"Zip!" - When retracting an enemy. *"You're going there!" - When retracting an enemy. *"Go away!" - When using boosters on a enemy. *"Fly, you fool!" - When airlifting an enemy. *"Buzz off." - When using boosters on a enemy. *"Adios." - When exiting a vehicle. *"Bye and adios." - When exiting a vehicle then getting destroyed. *"Out of my way!" - When killing an Army of Chaos soldier. *"Try flying now." - When Retracting a demon. *"These things are disgusting." - When getting attacked by demons. *He hums the tune of the song "Drunken Sailor" when driving the SS Borracho. Weapons of choice Controlled by the player, Rico can obviously use nearly all weapons in the games, however there are a few weapons that are significant. *Holdt R4 Pitbulls - Rico always carries a pair of these in JC1. *Rico's Signature Gun - Large revolver seen in JC1 artworks and usable in JC2. *Deathstalker Scorpion Rifle - JC4 DLC. This weapon is advertised as the "Signature Rifle" and mentioned to have been "fine tuned by Rico for his purposes". Trivia *Among many others, Rico may be a reference to Scorpion from the Mortal Kombat series as his grappling hook is similar to Scorpion's spear and chain. There is also the fact that he often goes by the alias, Scorpio. *Rico, especially in the first Just Cause game, resembles the protagonist of 2003 movie "Once Upon a Time in Mexico" Sheldon Jeffrey Sands. Evidences that prove this: **Rico's appearance from the first game largely resembles Sheldon's: black pants, black long sleeved shirt, black vest and long black hair. **Rico, much like Sheldon, is an operative from a government intelligence agency. Rico from The Agency, while Sheldon was from CIA. **Both characters were involved in a coup against a head of state. However, the roles Rico and Sheldon played are nowhere near similar: Rico was tasked to topple down a dictator (Salvador Mendoza from San Esperito) while Sheldon was tasked to prevent the assassination of the president of Mexico. **Sheldon is the surname of Tom Sheldon, Rico's commanding officer in Just Cause and Just Cause 2. *The game Sleeping Dogs, released on August 14, 2012, has a free bonus for any gamer with a Just Cause 2 save game stored on their hard drive. The bonus is that Wei Shen (the protagonist of Sleeping Dogs) can wear Rico's outfit from Just Cause 2. This outfit allows Wei to "action hijack" cars at a greater distance. The grappling hook, while still represented on the costume skin, unfortunately, does not function and is merely cosmetic. *While running around on the rooftops of the San Esperito towns, or trying to quickly get past any of the various random objects that can be seen in villages, the player has to often use the jump function. If you jump while there's an immovable obstacle in the way, there will be a fart-like noise. See the video at the bottom of the page for a demonstration and Just Cause Bugs and glitches for more glitches. *Rico in Just Cause 2 went through a couple of facial designs during development. These can be seen in a couple of screenshots during the loading screen of the game. *According to this site and this site: **In Just Cause, Rico was originally supposed to be a tattooed man with dreadlocks. **In the original intro of Just Cause 2, Rico was burned-out and had retired to a brothel somewhere in Mexico where he had spent his days since Just Cause 1, drinking. *Just Cause game series art director Zach Schlappi has said: "The character started out kind of goofy. I was thinking he's like a panther, he's graceful, he's sleek, he's strong. In JC 1, my crazy interpretation of him is that he's like a romanticized Che Guevara with a mariachi outfit – almost like Desperado. There is this romance of a Mexican revolution, so I wanted to borrow some of those ideas for the next game." Ricos looks were updated again for Just Cause 3. "Crank with Jason Statham was a big influence in helping us create his zipper top. His equipment is more real life too. For example, the harness is based off a telephone pole operators harness, and the grappling hook is a slight modernization. We asked ourselves, "If Jony Ive was doing weapon design what would that look like?" We want just a touch of that James Bond agency feel without going too far into the goofy and outlandish like Triple X staring Vin Diesel." *"For the player with sharp eyes (or a 4k monitor), you may notice a little special something on the bottom of his boot while wingsuiting." As seen in the gallery below, it is the Avalanche Studios logo. *There are three people in real life with this name. Link to Wikipedia. *In Just Cause 3 he is referred to by some rebels and his comms officer (Alessia) as "Aquila", meaning Eagle. Civilians often refer to him as a real life superhero or spending more time in the air than on the ground. The term "Fratre" or brother is also frequently used by rebels. *The only known rebel with green eyes. *He used to be a race car driver before he left Medici. **In Day 1515 of Di Ravello's audio diary, he mentions Rico winning a race after narrowly avoiding an accident. ***The cause of the accident was another racer's brakes "inexplicably failing". ***When the formula 1 (Mugello Farina Duo) car is successfully stored in any of Mario Garages, Alessia says: "Hey Rico! Didn't you used to race one of these beauties before... before you left, I mean." Appearances/Actors *Just Cause game series. **Just Cause voiced by Robin Atkin Downes. **Just Cause 2 voiced by Robin Atkin Downes. **Just Cause 3 voiced by Kevin Collins. **Just Cause 4 voiced by Orion Acaba. *Farming simulator 15 - It has been announced that a free DLC for Farming simulator 15 will let the player play as Rico. Read more about the JC3 - FS15 crossover DLC at Downloadable content for Just Cause 3. Gallery (JC1) Just cause rico gun.jpg|Promotional artwork of Rico with his signature guns, the Holdt R4 Pitbulls. Mendoza statue 2.png|Parachuting near the Giant statue of Salvador Mendoza. San Esperito posters (guerrilla support 2).png|Standing in front of vandalized posters that show support for the Guerrillas. Just Cause (first box cover with mullet).jpg|The earliest Just Cause PC and PS2 box covers had Rico with a mullet haircut. Just Cause PC version box cover.png|A later Just Cause box cover with updated hair. Rico Concept Sketch.png|Rico's early sketch for Just Cause. JC1 artwork (early Rico and Esperanza at an explosion).png|A very early artwork of Rico and Esperanza. Ricos design was later updated. JC1 promotional art - Rico jumping from plane.PNG|Promotional art. Skydiving from a Huerta SPA Ocelot. JC1 promotional art - Hurst Dagger explosion.PNG|Promotional art. Hurst Dagger explosion. Swimming (San Esperito).jpg|In the first game, Rico can hold his breath forever. JC1 Rico closeup.png|Closeup in the game. At Esperito City - North with the Banco Nacional visible in the background. JC1 Rico Rodriguez (possibly some mission cut-scene).jpg|As seen in some cut-scene. Gallery (JC2) Revolver.jpg|Rico's Signature Gun in Just Cause 2. The White Tiger (Rico upside down).jpg|Tom Sheldon cutting Rico down from a trap in the mission The White Tiger. Rico Rodriguez outfit in Sleeping Dogs.png|The Rico Rodriguez outfit in Sleeping Dogs. Just Cause 2 E3 (lower resolution, but more).jpg|Rico's JC2 ingame model, as seen in an E3 screenshot. JC2 Rico closeup.png|Closeup in the finished game. Rico's first landing in Panau.jpg|Rico's first landing in Panau, during the mission Welcome to Panau. JC2 Rico in winter camouflage.jpg|In JC2 the character model changes depending on the climate zone. JC2 crane explosion.jpg|JC2, the character model looks wet when it rains. Rico Rodriguez (JC2 portrait).png|As he appears in his PDA profile. Rico Rodriguez falling.jpeg JC2 Promotional artwork (Rico grappling on a building).jpg|Some promotional artwork. Gallery (JC3) JC3 Rico (face close-up cleared background).png JC3 Rico.png|Breakdown of Rico's equipment and outfit in Just Cause 3. JC3 Rico artwork (clear background, looking over left shoulder).png RicosShoesJC3.png|The Avalanche logo can be seen on the heels of his boots in JC3. JC3 Rico artwork.png|JC3's Rico artwork. JC3 Rico Rodriguez (face close-up).png|Close-up of his face while Skydiving in the "firestarter" trailer. JC3 Rico closeup.png|Closeup in the game. JC3 stunt positon.jpg|See Stunt position. Rico and Medici postcard.png|Looking at a Medici postcard. JC3 skydiving and explosion.jpg JC3 skydiving to radar base.jpg Rico, Mario and Teo.png|Teo, Mario and Rico. JC3 Rico Rodrigez.jpg|In some mission cut-scene. JC3 Rico early design proposal.jpg|One of the early design proposals for Rico, with minor differences from the final design. JC3 Rico early design proposal (2).png|Concept art for Rico's design in JC3, with minor variations from the final design. JC3 Rico shaved.png|These beard options were posted by the official Just Cause Facebook page some time after game release. JC3 Rico with mustache.png JC3 Rico with imperial mustache.png JC3 Rico with large mustache.png Rico Rodriguez JC3.jpeg| JC3 Rico face closeup.jpeg Gallery (JC4) JC4 Rico.jpg|Rico in Just Cause 4. Rico and Mira (in a trailer).png|Rico and Mira Morales. JC4 Rico and Tom in the Rico's Rival trailer.png|Rico and Tom Sheldon in the "Rico's Rival" trailer. JC4 Ricos file in the Black Hand database.png|Rico's file in the Black Hand database, in the "Story" trailer. Notice the older Agency logo. JC4 Rico grinning (eye of the storm trailer).png|Rico grinning in the "Eye of the storm" trailer. JC4 Rico wanders in the jungle.png|Rico admires nature in the 25 minute no HUD gameplay video. JC4 Rico (Lego from JC facebook).png|Lego version of Rico, posted by the official Just Cause Facebook page. Videos es:Rico Rodríguez Category:Content Category:Characters in Just Cause Category:Characters in Just Cause 2 Category:Characters in Just Cause 3 Category:Characters in Just Cause 4